Dimix support and Mimaki machines drive strong growth Decapress

Recently Decapress purchased two new machines from Mimaki, both with UV drying, the UCJV300-160 and the UJV55 - 320. The latter, with a print width of 3 meters twenty, is the eye-catcher within the company.

Originally, Decapress is a local Belgian printer that has made the shift from supplying standard printed matter to a total supplier of visual communication. At the helm is Dimitri and Angela de Carlo, who took over the company from their father.

Total supplier

The printing company started 34 years ago as an offset printing company, then Decapress made the switch to digital printing. Dimitri:" at the request of our customers we started with sign in 2005. This became so successful that it is now our main activity. We have grown into a total supplier for small and medium enterprises, mainly for customers in the region of Belgian Limburg. Our strength is that we produce everything ourselves. We have many customers who drop by at the beginning of the week for an action they need for the coming weekend. We can help them perfectly. We now have the machines with which we can quickly make many different products ourselves. And our customers appreciate that.

Elections

Local elections have just taken place in Belgium. A lot of parties had election posters made that often differed per municipality. This was a way for local leaders to put themselves in the spotlight. This involved small quantities like five large posters per person. "The printers have been running day and night," Dimitri says with a smile. "We recouped quite a bit of the purchase with this. The four of us worked 14 hours a day for three weeks. We are in happy anticipation for the 2019 elections."

The Mimaki printers had a big part in this success. The machines were able to print from roll to roll for 24 hours without people having to be present. According to Dimitri, this is the first time he has had printers in house that made that happen.

The printers use bulk ink system.

UV curing

The UCJV300-160 prints mainly stickers. Dimitri: "During the elections he turned 4000 stickers, on almost 150 linear meters of material. These were printed and cut in the evening. I am very satisfied with the performance of the printers."

The three-meter-twenty wide machine, the Mimaki UJV55 -320, Decapress uses in addition to election posters, for the production of building cloths (Mesh cloths), which are often larger than 2.50 meters. To be able to produce everything themselves, the company chose the large print width. With the important advantage that the printer can handle two A0 posters side by side.

Dealer

Supplier of the two Mimaki printers is Dimix. Dimitri has known Lars Vreeke of this dealer for ten years. A personal contact that led to a business service that both are happy with.Dimitri: "we have grown together with Dimix. We both really put our shoulders to the wheel. Even if something does not go well you have to solve it together. We have therefore chosen the dealer even more than the manufacturer of the printers. We are a small family business, operating the printer is not our core business. Supplying products is what we live on. That means I don't want to have to worry about the production equipment. The dealer has to proactively make sure the devices keep running. And with the Dimix Mimaki combination, that's currently working out just fine."

Expansion

Decapress is growing so fast that the existing location is becoming too small. Dimitri already has his eye on a new larger production location nearby. That larger location will also house a flatbed printer. "We now outsource printing on solid boards and we would like to do that ourselves as well," Dimitri says. "We have found that those products we produce ourselves grow." In-house graphic design is another wish of this enthusiastic Flemish entrepreneur. "We have noticed that customers prefer to have one point of contact for all advertising needs. That certainly includes design. We will therefore start a design agency." He also expects a lot from the partners with whom he does business for his growth ambitions. "It's all about making money in the first place, after all. Then you don't want to have to worry about the machines. Just like our customers don't want to worry about the advertising work. Customers don't want to shop around, they want it done right."